When you install the database projects template of SSDT you get SQL Server Object Explorer (SSOX) installed as well. SSOX is a pane within Visual Studio and is the main enabler of the Connected Development experience that the SSDT team have attempted to provide.
SSOX provides some really cool capabilities that are not in SQL Server Management ...

I have been using SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) both at work and on some hobby projects for quite a few weeks now and of all the new features I have to say the one that I am appreciating the most is Publish Profile files. I have been searching around on MSDN for an article that explains Publish Profile files but it seems no such article exists so ...

Recently I have begun a new project in which I am using SQL Server Data Tools (SSDT) and SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS) 2012. Although I have been using SSDT & SSIS fairly extensively while SQL Server 2012 was in the beta phase I usually find that you don’t learn about the capabilities and quirks of new products until you use them on a ...

Over the past few years of using datadude (aka DBPro aka Visual Studio Database Projects) I have fallen prey to a peculiar little nuance – if you forget to supply a value for a sqlcmd variable then it will simply use a default and often that is not the desired behaviour. Hence why yesterday I submitted the following suggestion to ...

Last week when RC0 was released, the updated installer for ''Juneau'' (SQL Server Data Tools) was not available. Depending on how you tried to get it, you either ended up on a blank search page, or a page offering the CTP3 bits. Important note: the CTP3 Juneau bits are not compatible with SQL Server 2012 RC0.
If you already have Visual Studio ...